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Funding Your Education

The University of Kentucky School of Information Science offers a wide variety of options for students who are in need of financial assistance. In addition to Federal aid, SIS offers opportunities for fellowships, scholarships, internships, graduate assistantships and more. Some are offered by the University or library associations. See below for details and how to apply.

Fellowships, Assistantships, and Internships (Graduate Students)

Fellowships require no service. Their purpose is to attract outstanding first-year graduate students, and thus they are not available to those already enrolled in the graduate program. They are open only to individuals nominated by their UK graduate programs who meet GPA and GRE requirements established by the Graduate School; they are not open to off-campus students. Because of the schedule the Graduate School sets for these awards, it is essential that an application for admission be received by January 15. The School will nominate only those who, in the School’s judgment and experience, are strong candidates. Click here for the library science fellowship application.Only persons who have first applied to the School of Information Science will be considered for nomination.

Once you have submitted fellowship application form, please email the following items to Student Affairs:

A two-page cover letter addressed to the Selection Committee explaining your qualifications and why you are applying to the fellowship;

A current resume or curriculum vitae;

Two letters of recommendation addressing your fellowship application, NOT your program application.

Graduate Assistantships & Internships require the student to provide service, generally 15-20 hours per week. Most Assistantships and Internships are awarded to begin the fall semester. The application deadline is March 1. For information about other fellowships and scholarships, visit the Graduate School web site at http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/StudentFunding/funding.html

SIS Scholarships (Library Science Graduate Students)

*Applications due by July 1st, awarded in Fall

Hallie Day Blackburn Scholarship Fund supports Kentucky residents who seek careers in public libraries. The award honors the late Hallie Day Blackburn who worked for many years for the Kentucky State Library.

Williena Burdine Broyles Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established in 2004 by Marvin Burdine to honor his sister Williena, a librarian in the Somerset, Kentucky school system for 25 years. To be eligible for the award students must be from one of Kentucky's Appalachian counties (as defined by the ARC), demonstrate financial need as determined by the Office of Financial Need and be a major in Library Science.

John Thomas Durham Graduate Student Fund was established by Henry Durham to honor his son Thomas, a graduate (’97) of the School of Library and Information Science. Income from the fund is used to support and enrich the experiences of SLIS graduate student(s) working in the UK Libraries. Graduate student expenses may be partially or totally supported with the income from the Fund. Recipients of the Fund are selected by the Director of School in consultation with the UK Dean of Libraries.

Note: Preference will be given to students who have not received scholarship money from the School of Information Science. Scholarships are awarded to those applicants who have completed their application and been admitted into the program.

Other Funding Sources (Graduate Students)

Lyman T. Johnson Academic Year Fellowship is available as a matching award for those applicants holding the equivalent of a half-time teaching or research assistantship in one of UK’s graduate programs. LTJ Fellowships, in combination with an assistantship, provide up to $15,000 a year for the student plus tuition and health insurance. Open to all qualified individuals, the Graduate School will match department contributions up to a maximum of $7,500 per year for stipends. More information about this award can be found at http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/StudentFunding/LTJ.html

Professional Organizations (Library Science Graduate Students)

The Kentucky Library Association has offered the Kentucky Library Association Scholarship for Minority Students the past several years. More information about that scholarship can be found at http://www.klaonline.org/scholarships965.cfm

Beta Phi Mu, the International Library Science Honor Society, makes available scholarships and other funding opportunities for students at ALA-accreditted programs each year. Students from SIS have received these awards in the past, and all are encouraged to apply online athttps://www.betaphimu.org/scholarships.html.

ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program (Library Science Graduate Students)

The American Library Association Spectrum scholarships aim "to increase the number of racially and ethnically diverse professionals working as leaders in the field of library and information science to best position libraries and institutions at the core of today’s culturally diverse communities." Students may apply for the scholarship, a one-time, non-renewable award of $5000 made out in two installments, on the ALA website. In addition to the scholarship funds, recipients receive a complimentary one-year student ALA membership, ALA annual conference registration, and numerous other benefits. UK SIS has seen students awarded the Spectrum scholarship before and highly encourages eligible students to apply. The full range of ALA scholarships may be found on their website.